As the hated Buckeyes go down, suspicions and anxieties disappear

JOHN LEROI Out of Bounds

A football season that can only be described as magical ended today in triumph. Down went the hated Buckeyes, along with the doubts, the suspicions and the anxiety.

Gone are the critics who said Lloyd Carr could not coach. Those who doubted Brian Griese's ability have mysteriously disappeared, faded into the background, left with no choice but to proclaim that Michigan is, indeed, the best team in the land.

There have been undefeated seasons and Rose Bowl berths before, but none have been won with such parity in college football, none since Penn State joined the Big Ten, none since the Battle for the Roses was between Michigan and Ohio State ... and nobody else.

And never before has a Michigan team been this good, this talented, this determined and this well-coached. The Wolverines have suited up for 119 years - and this is the best football team the school has ever fielded.

Trips to Pasadena used to be commonplace for Michigan. The Wolverines used to be one of the most feared teams in the nation, year in and year out. But domination was quickly erased, replaced by mediocrity.

Four-loss seasons became the norm, not because of a lack of talent or lack of intensity but just because. There is no explanation. Not even the players themselves know.

"There's just something special about this team," junior safety Marcus Ray said after the Wolverines' 23-7 win over Michigan State. "I don't know what it is, to be honest. Ask me in a few weeks."

I have a feeling a lot of people will. But Ray probably won't have any better answer than he gave in East Lansing. Something's special, something just is. A combination of coaching, talent and execution got the Wolverines this far, but something else put them over the top.

Some combination of camaraderie, determination and love kept this team together. They just will themselves to win.

They just know that Charles Woodson will return a punt 78 yards for a touchdown, even though he hasn't broken one all year, and then pick off a Stanley Jackson pass in the end zone just when Ohio State is making a game of it. They just know Josh Williams will force a fumble even though Michigan's front four has been underrated all season.

Yet, they don't count on those plays to happen, they make them happen.

That's why this season is magical. That's why you will remember it after you graduate, when you are 40 and when you are 60. That's why Michigan has its best shot at the national championship since 1971.

This season is about memories. It's about dreams. It's about Rose Bowl wins and national championships and Heisman trophies. It's about watching your team take the field 11 times and win them all.

For the first time since the 1992 season, Michigan will make an appearance in the Rose Bowl. But don't count on the Wolverines to just make an appearance. If they prepare for the Rose Bowl like they have for every game this season, if they play with the same heart and intensity they have for 11 games, expect nothing less than success. I don't know who Michigan will play in Pasadena and I have know idea what the spread is - but I'll take the Wolverines to win.

They've already proven they can.

- John Leroi can be reached via e-mail at jrleroi@umich.edu

11-22-97